Posts Tagged ‘Mitch Berger’

UTEP – Houston Bowl – Going back to Houston

//posted 12.29.2004

2004 – Game 13 – Colorado v. UTEP – Houston Bowl – December 29, 2004

Bowling For Dollars

The Buffs reward for winning the Big 12 North in 2004 was a trip to Kansas City to face one of the most dominant teams in the country. The result was a 42-3 debacle.

Still, Colorado was still 7-5 on the season, and was still the Big 12 North champions. The winning season merited an invitation to play in the EV1.Net Houston Bowl against the University of Texas, El-Paso (UTEP). It had appeared that Colorado was heading for the Champs Sports Bowl (formerly the Tangerine Bowl) in Orlando, Florida. When the BCS final numbers were announced, though, Texas surpassed California, sending the Longhorns to the Rose Bowl instead of the Golden Bears. With two teams from the Big 12 earning BCS bids (Oklahoma was slated for the Orange Bowl to play USC), every other Big 12 bowl team moved up a notch, putting the Buffs in Houston.

UTEP was 8-3 under first year head coach Mike Price. The Miners had won all of six games in the previous three years combined, so the infusion of a new coach had made a great…

Pre-season: 1994 – Adios, Southwest Conference – CU returns 16 starters

//posted 8.1.1994

(Post your own memories)

Adios, Southwest Conference

Quick – Name the last eight members of the Southwest Conference.

Not so easy, is it?

Entering the 1994 season, the long-anticipated demise of the SWC became official. The 1994 and 1995 campaigns would be the last for the storied conference. After 80 seasons, the Southwest Conference would fold up its tents; its teams left to a new future.

Arkansas, the only Southwest member outside of the state of Texas, had defected to the Southeastern Conference in 1990. Now Texas, Texas A & M, Baylor, and Texas Tech, commencing with the 1996 season, would join the Big Eight to form the Big 12. Southern Methodist, Rice, and Texas Christian, meanwhile, would join the Western Athletic Conference. The Houston Cougars, originally set adrift to fend for itself as an independent, would eventually settle upon an affiliation with Conference USA.

Why would a conference as steeped in history as the SWC fold? Several reasons were proposed: 1) the increased popularity of the NFL in Texas had eroded the state’s college fan base; 2) the widely-held belief that the conference was made up of two teams (Texas and Texas A&M) and a series of woeful second-tier teams; and 3) the…

Fresno State – Aloha Bowl shootout win over Trent Dilfer

//posted 12.25.1993

(Post your own memories)

December 25th – @ Aloha Bowl, Honolulu, Hawaii #17 Colorado 41, #25 Fresno State 30

While the Buffs found no snow on the ground on Christmas Day, 1993, they did find presents there.

Colorado’s defense forced four Fresno State fumbles, converting all four turnovers into points as the Buffs ran away from the Bulldogs, 41-30, to win the 12th-annual Aloha Bowl. Sophomore tailback Rashaan Salaam rushed for 135 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Buffs’ offense, while the depleted Colorado secondary withstood 523 yards passing by Fresno State’s Trent Dilfer. “It’s sweet,” said head coach Bill McCartney. “It’s what we wanted to accomplish when we redesigned our goals after losing to Nebraska. We wanted to close the season with three straight wins, go to a bowl, and bring back a trophy.”

At the outset, it looked like the Buffaloes from the Big Eight were interested in finishing off the Bulldogs early in order to get to the beach by early afternoon (kickoff was at 10:45 a.m., local time). On the Buffs’ first possession (after Chris Hudson had stripped Dilfer of the ball on the game’s opening drive), Stewart directed the Buffs on an eight-play, 53-yard drive culminated in a Salaam…

Iowa State – Paradise Found – 1993 Season Honors

//posted 11.20.1993

(Post your own memories)

November 20th – @ Iowa State #18 Colorado 21, Iowa State 16

Despite decent weather conditions for late November (41 degrees at kickoff, with no precipitation), only 23,797 bothered to show up to cheer for the hometown Cyclones (3-7) take on the 18th-ranked Buffaloes.

That was too bad for Iowa State players, as the home team almost pulled off the upset. Only after defensive lineman Kerry Hicks and cornerback Chris Hudson teamed up to tackle running back Calvin Branch for a fourth down loss with 1:35 left in the game could the Buffs claim a hard-fought 21-16 win.

Matters appeared to be well in hand after Lamont Warren scored on two first half runs to put the Buffs on top, 14-0. After a scoreless first quarter, Colorado capped off a 12-play, 50-yard drive with a three yard run by Warren on the first play of the second quarter. The next time Colorado had the ball, the Buff offense put together a methodical, season-best 92-yard drive. Warren once again did the honors, this time with a 21-yard run.

14-0, Colorado.

Rather than fold on the final game of the season, Iowa State fought back. A field goal on the final play of…

Kansas – CU offense posts 598 yards of total offense in rout

//posted 11.13.1993

(Post your own memories)

November 13th – Boulder #21 Colorado 38, Kansas 14

Despite their 4-6 record (2-3 in the Big Eight), the 1993 Kansas Jayhawks could not be overlooked. While the Buffs were putting the finishing touches on their 31-14 win over Oklahoma State, the Jayhawks were putting a major scare into the 4th-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. With 52 seconds remaining, Kansas tailback June Henley scored from a yard out to bring the Jayhawks to within a point at 21-20. Rather than play for the tie, Kansas head coach Glen Mason went for the win. Unfortunately for Jayhawk fans, who had not seen a win over the Cornhuskers since 1968, Kansas quarterback Ashieki Preston’s pass was batted down, and Nebraska had held on for a 21-20 victory.

It could have been that Kansas had left all of its emotion on the field in Lawrence. Or it could have been that the Buffs were now focused on preserving a decent season. Or it could have been a combination of the two. In any event, the 38-14 Colorado win over Kansas before a Homecoming crowd of 52,139 was the most impressive effort for the Buffs in 1993.

The Jayhawks remained in the game in the first half, with…

Kansas State – 16 times three / Moving Day

//posted 10.23.1993

(Post your own memories)

October 23rd – @ Kansas State #16 Colorado 16, Kansas State 16

The number 16 proved to be unlucky for the 16th-ranked Colorado Buffaloes as Kansas State kicker Tate Wright connected on a 35-yard field goal with only 21 seconds remaining in the game to enable underdog Kansas State to come away with a 16-16 tie in Manhattan. The improving Wildcats, 5-1 coming into the contest against the Buffs, snapped Colorado’s eight-game winning streak in the series in holding the vaunted Buff offense to 355 yards of total offense.

In contrast to the two Colorado losses, when the Buff defense had been suspect, against Kansas State it was the offense which failed to produce at crucial times. In the first six games of 1993, Colorado had scored 23 touchdowns in 30 trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Against the Wildcats, though, three first-half drives inside the 20 netted only three short Mitch Berger field goals. The Buffs led at half, 9-0, but K-State was still very much in the game.

Playing with more enthusiasm than their Colorado counterparts, the Wildcats forged a 13-9 lead with just under ten minutes to play in the game (Buff defensive lineman Shannon Clavelle blocked the point…

Missouri – Bill McCartney ties Fred Folsom for most wins by a CU coach

//posted 10.9.1993

(Post your own memories)

October 9th – Boulder #20 Colorado 30, Missouri 18

The Missouri Tigers presented themselves to the Buffs as the perfect opponent to rebound from a two game losing streak.

Missouri was 1-2-1 on the 1993 season, including an embarrassing loss to Texas A & M (73-0) and a 10-10 tie to lowly SMU. The Buffs had a week to re-group and regain focus on the conference schedule. After a sometimes impressive, sometimes lethargic, performance, Colorado was able to secure a 30-18 win.

The Buffs’ defense, earning much of the criticism for Colorado’s 2-2 start, played significantly better than the unit which had been ranked 96th in the nation heading into the game. Six new defensive starters were inserted, including freshman linebacker Matt Russell and sophomore lineman Shannon Clavelle. For the most part, the defense held Missouri in check as the Buffs mounted a 27-3 lead before permitting late consolation scores. “Defensively, I was pleased with the way we played in the first half”, said coach McCartney. “I thought I saw a good looking defense out there.”

The game opened slowly, with only two field goals being posted in the first twenty minutes of play. With 9:08 to go before halftime,…

No. 3 Miami – Buffs lose after a brawl; Stuart wins after all

//posted 9.25.1993

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September 25th – Boulder #3 Miami 35, #13 Colorado 29

The Miami Hurricanes came into the 1993 game against Colorado in Boulder with a 2-0 record, having only surrendered nine points in their first two contests.

Miami’s record and dominating defense were not surprises. Over the previous ten seasons, the Hurricanes had posted four national championships, three near-misses, a 107-14 (89%) record, and a Top Ten ranking for 122 consecutive polls. Still, the Hurricanes, like the Buffs, were replacing a number of defensive starters. If Colorado was to have any hope for a national title, it had to start with an upset win at home against Miami.

It was not meant to be. The Buffs stormed back from a 28-6 deficit to pull within six points late in the game, 35-29, but could not score from inside the Hurricane 20-yard line with under one minute remaining.

The hotly-contested game, played before 52,391 Colorado faithful and a national ABC television audience, was all Miami in the first half. The Hurricanes rolled to a 21-6 halftime lead behind the running of Miami fullback Donnell Bennett and the passing of quarterback Frank Costa.

Still, despite what…

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Posts Tagged ‘Mitch Berger’

UTEP – Houston Bowl – Going back to Houston

Pre-season: 1994 – Adios, Southwest Conference – CU returns 16 starters

Fresno State – Aloha Bowl shootout win over Trent Dilfer

Iowa State – Paradise Found – 1993 Season Honors

Kansas – CU offense posts 598 yards of total offense in rout

Kansas State – 16 times three / Moving Day

Missouri – Bill McCartney ties Fred Folsom for most wins by a CU coach

No. 3 Miami – Buffs lose after a brawl; Stuart wins after all

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